Guest Blogger: Verreos in Oz
Nick Verreos and a bevy of Dorothys
Last night I was invited to attend the opening-night gala of the 70th Anniversary of the “Wizard of Oz” exhibition, featuring The Ruby Slipper Collection, at the downtown Los Angeles campus of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.
Nick Verreos + “The Wizard of Oz” = HEAVEN.'160;
About a month ago I was asked to mentor four FIDM fashion design alum who were commissioned to create a gown or dress inspired by the Cowardly Lion,'160; Tin Man, Scarecrow, and of course, Dorothy.'160;My “kids” did an amazing job with their creations, and I was a very “proud papa,” to say the least.'160;
Warner Brothers and FIDM pulled out all the stops with a “yellow'160; carpet” (instead of a red one, of course).'160; There were a dozen Dorothys—all done up with the character's signature pigtails and blue gingham dresses. After arriving, guests were treated to “Ozmopolitans” and other movie-inspired cocktails.'160; There were delicious food'160;tables throughout the event'160;featuring'160;mini turkey, beef and veggie burgers, a “mashed-potato bar” (don't ask, but it was GOOD!), and my favorite, truffle oil macaroni and cheese.'160;Decadent was the word of the night!'160; There was even a HUGE hot-air balloon right on Grand Hope Park, behind the FIDM campus.
I spotted George Lopez with his daughter—a fan of “Project Runway,” she confided.'160; Also on the “yellow carpet” were actress Debi Mazar, Kristin Cavallari of MTV’s “The Hills” and actor Nestor Carbonell of ABC’s “Lost.” There was'160;also'160;a contingency from the L.A. fashion scene, including'160;designer (and FIDM grad)'160;Kevan Hall, Jared Gold and the gorgeous Tarina Tarantino.'160; Tarina, a good friend, even made me a special “red crystal heart pin” which I proudly wore on my'160;white dinner jacket.'160;She was the unofficial hostess of the event, since she designed jewelry inspired by “The Wizard of Oz” and also mentored the FIDM students in making the accessories and jewelry for the exhibition. The exhibit opened today, and, by the way, it is free to the public.'160;No turkey mini burgers or truffle oil macaroni and cheese, though.
Nick with FIDM instructor Mary Stevens and Kevan Hall
(photo: Berliner Studio/BEImages)
The exhibit at FIDM
Tarina Tarantino and Nick Verreos
The exhibit at FIDM
Nick Verreos co-designs the Nikolaki collection with David Paul and teaches at his alma mater, FIDM. He is a frequent fashion commentator on E! and TV Guide channel and is an alum of the second season of “Project Runway.” More coverage from the event can be found at his blog here.
